Dangerous Precedents

Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3

Text Box: Slowly but surely, Canadians and Americans are losing the right to make personal decisions about their health. These changes are fueled by two factors: the belief that intrusive medical techniques are the only way to encourage healing and the desire of pharmaceutical companies to increase profits. Unless citizens work together to prevent these changes, we will soon lose the ability to choose methods for healing and maintaining health. In Canada, Minister of Health Tony Clement is pushing through Bill C-51, a series of changes to the Food and Drug act that criminalizes the preparation and sale of most natural health products. Bill C-51 also gives government agents the power to invade homes and businesses, to arrest anyone involved in the production or distribution of natural supplements or holistic remedies, and to levy fines that would bankrupt most individuals and small businesses. The fact that Tony Clement is 25% owner of a $140 million pharmaceutical company that would greatly benefit from these new laws is a conflict of interest that has so far been overlooked. In two US states (New Jersey and Maryland) it is now illegal to refuse vaccinations for children. Though the success of vaccination programs is debatable, any parents who decide that the needle is not right for their children face the potential of arrest. In these cases, the children would be taken from their homes and vaccinated by force. Since most vaccination programs are marketed to government agencies (example: vaccines for HPV and infant diarrhea), the laws are creating guaranteed customers and profits for pharmaceutical companies. In a recent Canadian case, an eleven-year old boy who has undergone unsuccessful chemotherapy for leukemia was taken from his family and forced to go through the torturous procedure a second time. Even though the boy and his family decided that chemotherapy is not the correct treatment, government agents felt differently. When the boy and his father went to the hospital for a checkup, the father was handcuffed and the boy was taken away. He is now being held captive and suffering through treatment that he knows won’t work. Those who truly understand the path of healing await the announcement of the boy’s death. In Canada, Bill C-51 is the first step towards adoption of the World Health Organization’s CODEX treaty, which moves the production of supplements and health products into the hands of pharmaceutical companies. The government is stepping into the role of medical enforcer, deciding that the only way to encourage health is through pills and medications. The pharmaceutical industry is very supportive of these measures since government agents will ensure the sale of their products. These decisions are based on revenue and profit rather than health or safety. While government spokespeople insist that these measures are intended to increase the health of citizens, the reality is that these shortsighted views follow the belief that intrusive medical treatment is the only path to healing. In addition, all of these actions show a bias towards the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Despite the fact that over 30,000 people die annually in Canada because of prescribed drugs, the industry insists that they are really just trying to help. Our society is being brainwashed by the pharmaceutical companies to believe that drugs are the answer. Huge sales of Viagra and other sexual potency drugs are based on the implanted idea that men require a pill to function sexually. The multi-billion dollar headache industry is based on the assumption that headache relief can only be achieved with painkillers. Even the sale of sunscreen lotion is based on the implanted fear that sunlight is dangerous while the cancer-causing chemicals in sunscreen are irrelevant. While the pharmaceutical industry spent $31 billion on research in 2004, they also spent $57 billion on marketing. These expenditures define their priorities. Up until now, those who are more enlightened about their personal health have had the ability to make their own choices. These rights are being taken away, and the driving force behind the change is the profit of pharmaceutical companies. In Canada alone, sales of prescription drugs exceeded $27 billion in 2007. These sales equate to about $800 annually for every man, woman and child in the country. Are all these pills and drugs really necessary? A lot is going on behind the scenes. The big scam that we call the pharmaceutical industry is growing for its own benefit, and as a result the health and choices of individuals around the world are threatened. While many people are beginning to object to these changes, the majority is unaware. Unless the public stands together and says no, we will have lost many of our basic rights. Write your government representative, spread the word, and fight for your right of choice before it is gone. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2008 First Published May 19, 2008

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